The transition to cross-channel messaging

Consumers engage in cross-channel messaging without even thinking about it. They post to Facebook or Kaixin001 via text message, track and respond to friends’ comments through email, upload photos directly from their mobile phone, and then chat about it over IM.

Digital conversations naturally take place across the various messaging channels that are available because smartphones and tablets are cross-channel devices. They give the user access to email, SMS/ MMS messaging, IM, social messaging and notifications all through a single screen.

In person-to-person exchanges, which message channel comes into play can depend on a number of variables: the relationship between the two persons; convenience; cost; time of day; or simple personal preference.

Yet, within a business-to-consumer setting, whereby consumers interact with businesses, it is an entirely different story. Most companies still approach communication as a marketing exercise - emails are sent out to customers from addresses such as “noreply@brandx.com” in the hopes of a click-through, or better yet, a conversion.

But this is unidirectional monologue, not a conversation. Oftentimes recipients cannot even respond, let alone switch the conversation over to text or IM as they can with a person-to-person interaction.

Even when well-planned email campaigns are structured around richly sourced customer intelligence, they can only achieve limited customer engagement if they are carried out as conventional one-way interactions.

Similarly, when companies receive messages from customers, the context that is ever-present in person-to-person interactions is often completely absent.

Unless it is a direct response to an offer or solicitation within the originating channel, there is no way for the company to know if that customer had recently made a purchase, asked for customer assistance, or is an important and loyal repeat customer.

Many large retailers, banks and other kinds of customer-oriented enterprises have made significant investments over the years in customer relationship management systems to capture just this kind of information.

In fact, the intelligence to conduct automated two-way dialogue is often already available within large enterprises that have a CRM platform in place. What is missing is the messaging capability that would allow the enterprise to act on this intelligence, and respond to customers who reach out to them through email, text and IM at different times.

Older generation consumers might not object to the lack of cross-channel interaction with brands because it is what they are used to. However, Gen Y and its successors, who are social-media savvy, surely prefer a two-way dialogue. They will choose the brands that cater to their needs - brands that do not try to dictate the method of interaction and are responsive in every messaging channel.